Florida Takes a Page Out of Indiana's Playbook, Backs Out of Future Notre Dame Matchup

While we all wait in great anticipation for what happens in the latest College Football Playoff rankings this evening (sorry, I forgot to use my sarcasm font), Notre Dame was busy making schedule news for the coming years.

If you're a Notre Dame football fan, hopefully you didn't already book a hotel room for its trip to Florida that was supposed to occur in 2032.

That's because Florida has backed out of the deal, which had included a date at Notre Dame in November of 2031.

As a result, Notre Dame announced a home-and-home with Washington to fill the gap in 2031 (South Bend), and with a trip to Seattle in 2034.

Florida's Reasoning for Canceling Home-and-Home

Reportedly, there was an out-clause in the contract that allowed Florida to back out of the deal with Notre Dame if the SEC ever moved its conference schedule to being nine games.

The deal was signed all the way back in 2021, when the SEC schedule featured only eight conference games for each team.

Florida is already contractually obligated to play Florida State each season, which means Notre Dame would be the 11th Power Four opponent for the Gators in a single season.

I'm not justifying it, I'm simply presenting Florida's side in this decision.

So much for the 24-team playoff adding more big-time regular season games, huh?

Notre Dame Quickly Adds Washington to Schedule

There has been speculation for quite some time that Florida would do this, and Notre Dame clearly had its ducks in a row as it announced Tuesday afternoon that it will have a home-and-home series with Washington.

Notre Dame's home game in that series will come in 2031, as a replacement for the game formerly scheduled against Florida in South Bend.

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Schedule update 📆

Adding a home-and-home with Washington in 2031 and 2034.

🔗: https://t.co/Y1DD9xMi8s #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/bRgdxIgI1k
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 10, 2026

It makes the return trip to Washington in 2034.

While Florida gets the publicity because its a powerhouse program that has never played Notre Dame in the regular season, it is worth noting that Washington has played for a national championship significantly more recently than Florida has.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts

I get why Florida doesn't want to play 11 Power Four opponents, but let's not act like all Power Four opponents are built the same.

Notre Dame plays 10 Power Four opponents this season, and all you hear about is how the Fighting Irish have a so-called weak schedule.

Replace Rice with 4-5 Texas A&M and is Notre Dame's schedule all of a sudden that much more difficult?

So much of these strength of schedules are built on luck and Florida's fear of an 11th Power Four opponent is laughable, especially considering what Florida State has become in recent years.

Florida comes off acting like Curt Cignetti and Indiana, pridefully running from Notre Dame, while other conference foes continue to keep the Fighting Irish scheduled.

When Notre Dame announced a two-game series with Wisconsin back in August of 2017, the Badgers had won 10 or more games in six of the eight previous seasons. By the time the second game of the series was played in 2026 (Covid caused the cancellation of the originally scheduled 2020 meeting in Green Bay), Wisconsin had failed to reach the 10-win mark in six straight seasons.

There is no guarantee when these announcements are made that the opponent is going to be marquee by the time those games actually come around.

While it stinks that Notre Dame doesn't get to make its first trip to Gainesville, it is worth noting that home-and-homes against the likes of Alabama, Texas, Michigan, and plenty of other Power Four opponents remain.

So the ND Guys trip isn't headed to Gainesville in 2032.

As Fortune told Rudy after not making the dress list: "There are greater tragedies in the world."

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